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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · bay · mouse · capital · cap · present

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. present — there
  11. capital — money
  12. cap — a hat
  13. capital — a city
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. present — the time now
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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