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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. can — a tin
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — a tin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. land — ground
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cell — in biology
  10. land — a country
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. land — to come down
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. can — to be able to
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. drill — army training
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — money
  24. drill — the tool

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