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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. tear — from crying
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cap — of ice
  14. capital — a city
  15. snap — to click
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. fine — all right
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. capital — money
  22. fine — high quality
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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