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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — a country
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a city
  10. bass — low music
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. capital — money
  13. ground — crushed
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the fish
  16. land — ground
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. suit — in cards
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — clothes

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