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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. face — part of the head
  3. band — a music group
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. capital — a city
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. foot — a measure
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. band — a ring
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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