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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. roll — a cake
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. capital — a city
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — to play on
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. roll — a list
  17. swing — in golf
  18. capital — money
  19. swing — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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