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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fine — all right
  7. swing — to play on
  8. face — to confront
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. capital — a city
  14. deal — to handle
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. swing — music
  17. rash — a series
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stand — to bear
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — for spectators

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