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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: last · mate · bowl · ruler · face · capital

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mate — a friend
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — final
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. mate — a partner
  14. face — part of the head
  15. capital — a city
  16. last — finally
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — money

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