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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. capital — money
  3. cap — a hat
  4. club — for golf
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. capital — a city
  15. club — a group
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. club — for dancing
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mine — belonging to me

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