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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: face · ruler · calf · stock · foot · fork · bowl · capital

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — money
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — shares
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. capital — a city
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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