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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. season — in sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bulb — for light
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. file — a tool
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. rule — government
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bulb — for light
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. capital — money
  17. rule — a law
  18. cap — a lid
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. capital — a city
  22. file — a document
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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