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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. craft — boats
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. capital — money
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. face — part of the head
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. face — to confront
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. craft — a skill
  17. field — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. face — to point toward
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. craft — a handicraft

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