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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. capital — a city
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cap — of ice
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mug — to rob
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — of water
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spring — a coil
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mug — a face

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