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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lie — to recline
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tear — to rip
  9. squash — to crush
  10. band — a music group
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. squash — the sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — moving air
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. band — a ring
  22. vault — a safe
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — moving air

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