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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spring — a coil
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. capital — money
  6. face — to confront
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. capital — a city
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — the season
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. spring — of water
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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