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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 · firm · capital · bowl · cue · season · march · face

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. march — music
  6. ball — a dance
  7. firm — steady
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ball — a great time
  11. capital — money
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — the month
  14. season — of the year
  15. capital — a city
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. season — in sport
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. face — to confront
  24. march — the month

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