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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. object — an aim
  3. field — farmland
  4. fall — to drop
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cap — of ice
  7. capital — money
  8. object — to protest
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. dip — to sink
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. field — a subject
  21. fall — the season
  22. cap — a lid
  23. object — a thing
  24. capital — a city

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