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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: can · squash · march · board · pit · racket · capital · field

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — to crush
  3. can — to be able to
  4. squash — the sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. can — a tin
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. board — to get on
  11. field — for sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a committee
  16. march — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — money
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. board — a flat piece

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