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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · face · capital · mark · wave · cell · swing · foot

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. face — part of the head
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. capital — money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. capital — a city
  15. mark — a trace
  16. foot — a measure
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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