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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pit — a hole
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. spring — the season
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cap — a hat
  11. race — a contest
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cap — of ice
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — of water
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. race — humankind
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bulb — for light
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — the arms race

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