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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fall — the season
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. hand — help
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. capital — money

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