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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: cabinet · hand · squash · content · capital · present · track · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. content — the amount
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — happy
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. capital — a city
  12. track — a path
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hand — in cards
  15. capital — money
  16. hand — help
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. present — there
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — the sport

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