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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  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. can — a tin
  2. present — a gift
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. capital — a city
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. present — there
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. can — a tin
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — money
  23. present — the time now
  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