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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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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: capital · bat · rock · stem · sharp · bowl · foot · cap

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cap — a hat
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rock — music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — a city
  24. bowl — to roll

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