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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. face — to confront
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. band — a ring
  5. hand — help
  6. dip — to sink
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — in cards
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — to point toward
  24. hand — part of the body

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