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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — there
  4. firm — steady
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. present — the time now
  7. spring — of water
  8. field — a subject
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — farmland
  11. band — a ring
  12. spring — the season
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cap — of ice
  18. field — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. firm — a company
  21. present — a gift
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. mug — a cup

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