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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 124 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. capital — a city
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kick — in football
  5. season — of the year
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rule — a law
  8. face — to confront
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fine — high quality
  15. capital — money
  16. face — to point toward
  17. date — the fruit
  18. season — in sport
  19. hand — help
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rule — government
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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