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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. face — to confront
  5. bank — for money
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bank — for money
  10. cap — a hat
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. capital — a city
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rest — a break
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cue — a hint
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bank — of a river
  24. capital — a big letter

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