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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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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: squash · capital · roll · wave · present · face · ball · chest

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. chest — of your body
  6. present — a gift
  7. face — to confront
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. capital — money
  15. roll — a list
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — a city
  20. ball — a great time
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chest — a box
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. squash — to crush

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