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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 120 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: racket · rest · capital · sharp · cap · cold · rule · temple

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cap — of ice
  3. capital — money
  4. rest — a break
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. capital — a city
  15. rule — government
  16. cold — not warm
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — an illness
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rule — a law
  22. cap — a hat
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. sharp — clever

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