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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tube — a container
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — a city
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — of the year
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. tube — the underground
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — to visit
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pop — soda
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pop — music
  20. capital — money
  21. kid — to tease
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cap — a hat
  24. scale — for weighing

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