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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: capital · object · board · lash · face · pitcher

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. board — a committee
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. capital — money
  11. object — an aim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. object — a thing
  15. capital — a city
  16. board — to get on
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront

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