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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a hat
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. spell — letters
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. firm — a company
  19. cap — a lid
  20. firm — decided
  21. kid — to tease
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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