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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mug — a cup
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. capital — money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. mug — a face
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. row — to paddle
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mug — to rob
  23. vault — a safe
  24. row — a line

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