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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bear — the animal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. field — for sport
  5. scale — in music
  6. capital — a city
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — in sport
  10. capital — money
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — a trail
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. season — of the year
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — size or range
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — farmland
  24. row — a line

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