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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. suit — in cards
  3. rash — a series
  4. capital — a city
  5. suit — clothes
  6. land — to come down
  7. cap — a hat
  8. can — a tin
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. capital — money
  11. spell — a short time
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. rash — hasty
  17. suit — to fit
  18. can — to be able to
  19. toast — bread
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — a country
  23. spell — letters
  24. can — a tin

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