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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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468
Word bank
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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: pit · bear · capital · rash · chip · land · tube · racket

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pit — in a race
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chip — for betting
  10. pit — a hole
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — a series
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bear — the animal
  24. tube — the underground

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