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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. field — farmland
  11. rock — music
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. field — a subject
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — money

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