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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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. capital — money
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. sharp — clever
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — a tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rock — a stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lie — to recline
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hide — to keep secret

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