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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.

Words on the sheet
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: can · capital · ball · land · suit · saw · rush · chest

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ball — a great time
  3. can — to be able to
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rush — hurry
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chest — of your body
  16. capital — money
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. chest — of your body
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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