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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. mark — a trace
  5. field — for sport
  6. mark — a grade
  7. capital — money
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. field — farmland
  11. face — to confront
  12. rest — what's left
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. present — a gift
  18. rest — a break
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bear — the animal

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