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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
468
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: root · board · net · cell · ground · capital · face · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. face — part of the head
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ground — a position
  6. board — to get on
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cell — in biology
  9. net — after costs
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — crushed
  12. root — of a word
  13. face — to confront
  14. net — for catching
  15. root — the cause
  16. cell — a phone
  17. capital — money
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. board — a committee
  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