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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. capital — money
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cell — a phone
  16. roll — a list
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fan — a supporter

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