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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — in sport
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pass — a permit
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. spring — the season
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cap — a hat
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — a city
  24. season — to add flavour

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