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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bass — the fish
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wax — to grow
  16. key — the most important part
  17. face — to confront
  18. key — for a lock
  19. net — after costs
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. key — in music
  22. bass — low music
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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