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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. capital — money
  5. squash — the sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rock — music
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. season — in sport
  10. land — a country
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — child
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mark — a trace
  16. squash — to crush
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. season — of the year
  22. kid — to tease
  23. capital — a city
  24. racket — for tennis

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