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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: ball · kick · capital · rash · face · present · saw · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ball — a dance
  4. capital — a city
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. face — to confront
  9. rash — a series
  10. capital — money
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. present — a gift
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. present — the time now
  18. face — part of the head
  19. present — there
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ball — a great time
  24. saw — the tool

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