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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 120 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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — a hat
  3. key — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. key — the most important part
  6. charge — electricity
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — a trace
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — a lid
  15. drill — the tool
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — a city
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mark — a grade
  22. charge — in control
  23. drill — army training
  24. deal — a big deal

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