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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tear — from crying
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — money
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. board — a committee
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — help
  23. capital — a city
  24. wake — a trail

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