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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. charge — in control
  4. face — to confront
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. face — to point toward
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. degree — temperature
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rest — a break
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — tied together
  21. perch — the fish
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — rain
  24. degree — an amount

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