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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spring — a coil
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. capital — a city
  8. charge — in control
  9. tube — the underground
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. charge — a price
  13. spring — the season
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. can — to be able to
  18. charge — electricity
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitch — completely
  21. drill — a practice
  22. capital — money
  23. drill — the tool
  24. tube — a container

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