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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: ground · face · kid · scale · capital · pit · pop · fork

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pop — music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kid — child
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pit — a hole
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. ground — a position
  18. capital — money
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. kid — to tease

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