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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 124 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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bore — to tire
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. plane — a tool
  9. capital — money
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bore — to drill
  24. scale — in music

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