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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cap — a lid
  3. last — to go on
  4. present — a gift
  5. last — finally
  6. cap — a hat
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a city
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. tube — the underground
  12. present — the time now
  13. cap — of ice
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. present — there
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. last — final
  20. club — a group
  21. staff — a stick
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. capital — money

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