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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mug — to rob
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pop — soda
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pop — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — to visit
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. plane — a tool
  24. mug — a face

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