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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: suit · last · cap · capital · pound · cabinet · cold · fine

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fine — all right
  6. cold — an illness
  7. capital — money
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. last — to go on
  14. capital — a city
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — finally
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — final

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