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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 116 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: can · bank · snap · court · face · bay · bass · capital

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. bay — a horse colour
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — to point toward
  4. can — a tin
  5. bass — low music
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. can — a tin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. capital — money
  11. court — for sport
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bass — the fish
  15. capital — a city
  16. face — part of the head
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. can — to be able to
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. bank — for money
  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