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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: stand · rule · snap · ball · capital · mate · bay · face

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. capital — a city
  5. face — to confront
  6. mate — a partner
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rule — government
  9. mate — a friend
  10. capital — money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — to breed
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to click
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ball — a great time
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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