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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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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: fine · fan · capital · cue · cap · deal · bulb · scale

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cap — a lid
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. capital — money
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — in music
  24. cue — for pool

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