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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: racket · capital · hide · can · cold · ruler · row · leaves

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. capital — a city
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — money
  10. cold — an illness
  11. row — to paddle
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. row — a line
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. can — a tin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. can — to be able to

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