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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pop — soda
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rash — hasty
  6. cap — a lid
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. court — of a king
  10. rash — a series
  11. fall — to drop
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. court — for sport
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cap — a hat
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — of law
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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