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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. can — a tin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. capital — money

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