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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rash — a series
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. date — the fruit
  10. capital — a city
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. season — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. degree — temperature
  21. rash — hasty
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — money
  24. ruler — a monarch

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