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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — a friend
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — finally
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — to breed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a partner
  12. face — to point toward
  13. plane — a tool
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. face — to confront
  17. bass — the fish
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bass — low music
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. capital — money

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