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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
468
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: capital · face · hide · fall · bound · club · court · board

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. court — of a king
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — to point toward
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. court — of law
  8. face — part of the head
  9. club — for dancing
  10. fall — the season
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. club — for golf
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bound — obliged
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. club — a group
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. board — to get on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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