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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wax — to grow
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. rule — government
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rule — a law
  19. field — farmland
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cap — of ice
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cap — a lid

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