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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: cabinet · capital · toast · can · bound · scale · cap · current

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. can — a tin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. current — of water
  7. scale — in music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — electric
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bound — certain
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — happening now
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. can — to be able to
  18. scale — size or range
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bound — tied together
  23. capital — money
  24. cabinet — ministers

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