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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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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: racket · cell · bear · pop · capital · wake · mark · bowl

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. capital — a city
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. capital — money
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. capital — a big letter

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