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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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Word bank
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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: face · land · row · stick · rock · capital · swing · fine

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. swing — in golf
  4. land — ground
  5. swing — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — a country
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a city
  14. row — to paddle
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rock — a stone
  18. fine — all right
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. row — a line
  21. land — to come down
  22. capital — money
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rock — to move gently

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