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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — magic
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to sink
  5. capital — money
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — a break
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rest — what's left
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a match
  18. object — an aim
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. game — wild animals
  24. capital — a big letter

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