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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 · capital · ball · wake · content · tube · row · suit

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — a city
  5. content — happy
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a dance
  13. suit — in cards
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. capital — money
  20. row — to paddle
  21. content — the amount
  22. tube — a container
  23. face — to confront
  24. suit — clothes

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