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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: saw · hide · ground · cap · date · content · capital · stick

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. date — the fruit
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — the tool
  11. capital — money
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ground — crushed
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cap — of ice
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. capital — a city
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — a position
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. content — happy

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