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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a document
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. capital — a city
  11. mine — for digging
  12. march — the month
  13. capital — money
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — to recline
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. vault — a safe
  20. march — music
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. scale — in music
  24. lie — an untruth

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