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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 120 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — a position
  6. land — ground
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — a country
  10. charge — in control
  11. capital — money
  12. charge — a price
  13. cap — of ice
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. charge — electricity
  20. file — a line of people
  21. capital — a city
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cap — a lid
  24. spring — a coil

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