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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pop — to visit
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pop — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. vault — a safe
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. sharp — clever
  17. snap — to click
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — soda
  22. cell — a phone
  23. can — a tin
  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