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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: kid · rest · ball · lie · club · face · rash · capital

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — what's left
  3. capital — a city
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kid — to tease
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — a break
  17. rash — a series
  18. capital — money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — child
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to confront
  24. rash — on the skin

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