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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. can — a tin
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. lie — to recline
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. hand — help
  15. capital — money
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — to drop
  24. can — to be able to

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