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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 · kick · pass · hand · plane · capital · sharp · leaves

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. sharp — clever
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to confront
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. face — part of the head
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kick — in football
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hand — help
  19. pass — a permit
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. face — to point toward

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