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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. suit — in cards
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. drill — the tool
  15. capital — money
  16. cold — not warm
  17. can — a tin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. date — the fruit
  20. can — a tin
  21. suit — clothes
  22. can — to be able to
  23. suit — to fit
  24. drill — army training

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