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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rule — a law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rule — government
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. capital — money
  19. ground — a position
  20. degree — an amount
  21. band — a music group
  22. ground — the earth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bulb — for light

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