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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · capital · dip · bay · face · spell · wound · bowl

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spell — a short time
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. track — a song
  13. spell — magic
  14. capital — money
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. dip — to sink
  18. capital — a city
  19. wound — an injury
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — a path
  24. spell — letters

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