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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: face · deal · row · foot · capital · saw · rush · bulb

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — hurry
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. face — to confront
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. foot — a measure
  20. row — a line
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. foot — the bottom

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