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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mug — a face
  6. face — to confront
  7. mug — a cup
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stock — goods
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — to be able to
  14. face — part of the head
  15. degree — temperature
  16. can — a tin
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. capital — money
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitch — completely
  22. capital — a city
  23. can — a tin
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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