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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mug — a face
  7. lean — thin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rush — hurry
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — low music
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — of a plant
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rush — to hurry

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