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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: capital · racket · tube · jam · game · mark · wound · pass

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. capital — money
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — a city
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. tube — the underground
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. game — a match
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. tube — a container
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. racket — for tennis

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