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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cap — of ice
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. suit — to fit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — a stone
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. capital — money
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. suit — clothes
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — part of the head

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