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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pop — to visit
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. date — the fruit
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pop — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. capital — a city
  15. tube — a container
  16. charge — in control
  17. tube — the underground
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. charge — a price
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pop — soda

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