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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. capital — a city
  5. face — to confront
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rule — a law
  8. capital — money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. face — to point toward
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. court — of a king
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rule — government

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