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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cue — for pool
  5. capital — a city
  6. cap — a lid
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — for digging
  9. spell — letters
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cue — a hint
  12. spell — magic
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kid — child
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cue — a signal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. kid — to tease
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ball — a great time

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