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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. drill — army training
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. suit — to fit
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — a division
  13. face — to confront
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — the tool
  17. sharp — clever
  18. drill — a practice
  19. face — part of the head
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. capital — money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. suit — in cards
  24. present — a gift

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