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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rock — a stone
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. face — to confront
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. last — finally
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rule — a law
  10. lean — thin
  11. last — final
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. ground — the earth
  18. capital — money
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lean — to bend
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. rule — government
  24. last — to go on

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