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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — a match
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. can — a tin
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. capital — money
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. can — to be able to
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — wild animals
  17. deal — to handle
  18. dip — to sink
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to point toward
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — a tin

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