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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. capital — money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — a container
  12. present — there
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — a hat
  20. present — a gift
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. present — the time now
  24. capital — a city

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