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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: chip · plane · club · capital · row · lie · mark · face

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. row — a line
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mark — a grade
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. capital — a city
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — a group
  11. mark — a trace
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chip — to eat
  16. face — part of the head
  17. club — for golf
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. face — to confront
  24. club — for dancing

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