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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. sharp — clever
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cap — of ice
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. capital — money
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — a box
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. lie — to recline
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — of the sea

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