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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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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spring — of water
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spring — the season
  6. kid — child
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. capital — money
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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