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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — money
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — of the year
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — a tin
  9. season — in sport
  10. cap — a hat
  11. can — to be able to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bark — to shout
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a music group
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. capital — a city
  24. cap — of ice

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