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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. face — to point toward
  3. capital — a city
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. shower — rain
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. shower — to wash
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. capital — money
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. ball — a dance
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. ball — a great time

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