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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. spring — of water
  8. capital — money
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spring — a coil
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. capital — a city
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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