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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 124 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. capital — money
  3. firm — a company
  4. cap — of ice
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — in sport
  7. present — there
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. band — a ring
  10. firm — steady
  11. capital — a city
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — a lid
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — of the year
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — a gift
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. firm — decided
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. present — the time now
  24. bowl — a dish

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