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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cap — of ice
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cap — a lid
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rock — a stone
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rock — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. sharp — with an edge

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