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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. dip — to sink
  3. capital — money
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — ground
  9. last — final
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. land — to come down
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — a country
  17. bound — certain
  18. capital — a city
  19. cap — a lid
  20. last — finally
  21. net — after costs
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. last — to go on
  24. fine — all right

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