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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. rule — government
  6. suit — to fit
  7. race — a contest
  8. cap — a hat
  9. can — a tin
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. capital — money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rule — a law
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. suit — in cards
  17. race — humankind
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. suit — clothes

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