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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. can — to be able to
  5. season — in sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. tube — a container
  15. can — a tin
  16. season — of the year
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — to tire
  19. kid — to tease
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. can — a tin
  22. bore — to drill
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kick — in football

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