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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — there
  7. mark — a trace
  8. sharp — clever
  9. foot — a measure
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cap — a hat
  12. mark — a grade
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. scale — size or range
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. scale — in music
  18. cap — of ice
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rock — a stone
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. capital — money
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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