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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · capital · plane · coach · ball · march · bay · file

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. plane — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. capital — money
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. file — a document
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. march — the month
  21. ball — a great time
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — music

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