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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — in football
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pop — soda
  13. fall — the season
  14. capital — money
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. plane — a tool
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. current — electric
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — of water

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