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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · spell · cap · leaves · toast · track · capital · ruler

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. toast — bread
  3. track — a song
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. capital — money
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cap — a hat
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. game — wild animals
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. track — to keep track
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. capital — a city
  19. spell — a short time
  20. track — a path
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — of ice
  23. spell — letters
  24. leaves — lets stay

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