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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. object — a thing
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. scale — in music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cap — of ice
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. cap — a lid
  11. capital — money
  12. scale — size or range
  13. object — an aim
  14. cap — a hat
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. kid — to tease
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. kid — child
  24. object — to protest

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