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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. season — in sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — boats
  6. cap — of ice
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — a hat
  18. capital — money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — a skill
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. nail — on a finger

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