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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. face — to confront
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rush — hurry
  10. lean — thin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fork — to eat with

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