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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. field — for sport
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rock — music
  7. season — in sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — to drill
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. land — to come down
  13. field — a subject
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — a country
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. land — ground
  21. rock — a stone
  22. perch — the fish
  23. season — of the year
  24. vault — a safe

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