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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — of water
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mate — a partner
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — a city
  8. chair — a leader
  9. current — happening now
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — in sport
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mate — a friend
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. capital — money
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. ruler — for measuring

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