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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spring — a coil
  12. dip — to sink
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — money
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cap — of ice
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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