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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: march · ruler · ball · spring · bowl · bulb · capital · face

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. march — the month
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. capital — a city
  11. face — to point toward
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — music
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. face — to confront
  21. capital — money
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. ruler — for measuring

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