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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · mug · last · plane · capital · court · snap · trunk

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. plane — a tool
  7. face — part of the head
  8. court — of law
  9. mug — a face
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — to confront
  13. capital — money
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. last — final
  21. face — to point toward
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mug — a cup
  24. last — to go on

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