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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cap — of ice
  3. file — a tool
  4. object — an aim
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — money
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. file — a line of people
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. last — finally
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a document
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — a lid
  19. last — to go on
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a hat
  24. capital — a big letter

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