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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — to confront
  4. capital — a city
  5. cell — in biology
  6. craft — a skill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — part of the head
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. face — to point toward
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. capital — money
  19. branch — a division
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com