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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 · hand · pound · capital · scale · rock · sharp · mark

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. scale — in music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. capital — money
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. capital — a city
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. scale — size or range
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rock — music
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. face — to confront
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. capital — a big letter
  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