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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. capital — money
  10. band — a music group
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spell — magic
  13. wax — to grow
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ball — a dance
  22. band — a ring
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — to confront

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