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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rule — government
  6. file — a tool
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. present — the time now
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cap — a hat
  14. present — there
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — to come from
  18. capital — a city
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — a gift
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — a lid

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