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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: bowl · lash · face · kick · capital · roll · file · spell

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. roll — a list
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. file — a line of people
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. face — to confront
  13. capital — a city
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spell — letters
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — part of the head
  18. file — a document
  19. capital — money
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kick — in football
  23. spell — magic
  24. file — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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