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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. last — to go on
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. face — to confront
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rash — a series
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. last — finally
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — final
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — army training
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rash — hasty
  24. foot — a measure

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