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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · cabinet · cell · cap · bat · capital

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. suit — to fit
  3. bat — the animal
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. suit — clothes
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. capital — a city
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. suit — in cards
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. cap — of ice

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