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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — to get on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. capital — a city
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — in music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mate — to breed
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mate — a partner
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. key — in music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cap — a lid
  23. key — for a lock
  24. board — a committee

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