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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: plane · capital · face · fine · board · file · rock · kick

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. board — to get on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. file — a tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. file — a document
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a line of people
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. capital — a city
  18. rock — a stone
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. capital — money
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — to confront
  24. fine — all right

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