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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. clip — to cut
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — money
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bass — the fish
  11. clip — a video
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bark — to shout
  15. lie — to recline
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rock — music
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lie — an untruth

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