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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 116 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: capital · court · squash · face · ground · rock · suit · lean

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rock — a stone
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — of a king
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — clothes
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ground — a position
  12. rock — music
  13. capital — a city
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. suit — to fit
  17. court — for sport
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. squash — the sport
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ground — the earth
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — of law
  24. ground — crushed

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