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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. 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. cap — of ice
  2. capital — a city
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. object — to protest
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. snap — to click
  11. cap — a hat
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. season — of the year
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. season — in sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. 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