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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pass — a permit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cell — a phone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — a tool
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. drill — army training
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. capital — money
  12. tube — the underground
  13. drill — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cell — in biology
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. tube — a container
  24. tube — in a tire

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