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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. court — of law
  3. mark — a trace
  4. ground — a position
  5. charge — a price
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ground — the earth
  13. dip — to sink
  14. face — to point toward
  15. capital — a city
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. court — for sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — electricity
  23. ground — crushed
  24. charge — in control

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