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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. snap — to click
  13. cap — a hat
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — money
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — help

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