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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — a tin
  15. object — to protest
  16. field — farmland
  17. can — a tin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. can — to be able to
  21. object — a thing
  22. field — for sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitcher — a jug

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