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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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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: cap · rule · bowl · dip · capital · squash · fall · mate

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. fall — to drop
  5. dip — to sink
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cap — a lid
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. squash — to crush
  13. rule — a law
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. squash — the sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. capital — a city
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. dip — a sauce

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