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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: season · rock · drill · cabinet · sharp · capital · ground · cap

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ground — a position
  11. cap — of ice
  12. season — of the year
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rock — a stone
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rock — music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — ministers

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