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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — in a road
  8. face — to confront
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. capital — a city
  12. club — for golf
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — money
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — to grow
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitcher — a jug

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