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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. foot — a measure
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. capital — money
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. capital — a city
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mark — a grade
  11. suit — in cards
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. suit — clothes
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chest — of your body
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. chest — a box

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