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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — money
  5. land — ground
  6. cap — a hat
  7. charge — in control
  8. cap — of ice
  9. charge — a price
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cue — a hint
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. capital — a big letter

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