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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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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bound — tied together
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — money
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — certain
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. craft — a skill
  14. tube — a container
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. craft — boats
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bound — obliged

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