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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. can — to be able to
  3. swing — music
  4. capital — money
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. saw — the tool
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. cell — in biology
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cell — a phone
  19. swing — in golf
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. can — a tin

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