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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 120 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: bank · calf · face · bowl · capital · game · pass · root

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. game — wild animals
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. root — of a plant
  9. capital — a city
  10. bank — for money
  11. root — of a word
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bank — of a river
  16. root — the cause
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bank — for 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