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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. game — wild animals
  3. capital — money
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — a tin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. game — a match
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — to tire
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. capital — a city
  24. hide — animal skin

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