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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. present — the time now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. present — there
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. deal — to handle
  17. capital — a city
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bat — the animal

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