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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 120 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: bowl · rest · face · capital · mate · court · current · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — electric
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. capital — money
  6. court — of law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kick — in football
  9. court — for sport
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. mate — a friend
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — a partner
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. face — to confront
  24. mate — to breed

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