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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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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: cap · bat · capital · rock · cabinet · suit · cell · hand

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. capital — a city
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. capital — money
  14. cap — a hat
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a lid
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hand — help

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