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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — a permit
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a city
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — money
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — a hat

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