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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. firm — decided
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — to drop
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tear — to rip
  13. capital — money
  14. fall — the season
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — to point toward
  20. firm — a company
  21. plane — a tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. plane — an aircraft

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