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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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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: mouse · cap · capital · root · pop · bay · last · rest

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. last — to go on
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rest — a break
  11. last — final
  12. capital — a city
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. root — of a word
  16. capital — money
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pop — music
  21. last — finally
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — soda

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