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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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468
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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. staff — a stick
  3. capital — a city
  4. march — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fork — in a road
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — the fish
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — in football
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — a leader
  16. march — the month
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — a professorship

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