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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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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: toast · capital · kid · rest · object · face · row · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. object — a thing
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. toast — bread
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kid — to tease
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. face — part of the head
  16. kid — child
  17. capital — money
  18. face — to confront
  19. object — an aim
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to point toward
  24. capital — a city

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