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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: capital · ball · coach · face · fine · bark · spell · row

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. row — a line
  4. bark — to shout
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spell — letters
  8. face — to confront
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. row — to paddle
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ball — a dance
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. capital — money
  19. spell — magic
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a city
  23. ball — a great 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