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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. firm — decided
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. spring — of water
  6. can — to be able to
  7. capital — money
  8. drill — a practice
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — a company
  11. drill — the tool
  12. cue — for pool
  13. content — happy
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — the season
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. drill — army training
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a signal
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — a hint

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