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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: stick · capital · face · fall · pound · leaves · firm · club

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pound — a weight
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fall — the season
  11. firm — decided
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. club — for dancing
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. firm — a company
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. club — for golf
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. firm — steady
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. face — part of the head

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