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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: coach · face · ball · racket · current · chip · lean · capital

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ball — a great time
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. face — to point toward
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lean — thin
  10. capital — a city
  11. face — part of the head
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — money
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. current — happening now
  24. face — to confront

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