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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 116 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
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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: bay · racket · cold · nail · capital · bowl · track · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. cold — not warm
  3. track — to keep track
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — money
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — a city
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. track — a song
  24. racket — a loud noise

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