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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. capital — a city
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tear — from crying
  7. suit — to fit
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bulb — for light
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. cell — a phone
  18. roll — a list
  19. cell — in biology
  20. tear — to rip
  21. suit — clothes
  22. roll — a cake
  23. capital — money
  24. hide — to keep secret

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