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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. snap — to click
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — certain
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. spell — magic
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ground — crushed
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — 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