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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.

Make a worksheet

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: capital · field · key · racket · clip · bowl · sharp · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. clip — for paper
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. field — farmland
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — a city
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — in music
  15. clip — a video
  16. key — the most important part
  17. capital — money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — to cut
  20. key — for a lock
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. field — a subject

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