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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: last · roll · capital · dip · bore · face · mark · game

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mark — a trace
  6. roll — a cake
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. roll — a list
  10. bore — to tire
  11. game — wild animals
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. game — a match
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — to confront
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. face — part of the head
  24. capital — a big letter

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