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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. spell — magic
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — a city
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cue — a hint
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. capital — money
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spell — letters
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ground — a position
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cap — a hat

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