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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.

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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: cap · net · capital · bowl · field · present · game · pass

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. net — in sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. present — the time now
  7. game — a match
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — for catching
  10. pass — a permit
  11. net — after costs
  12. present — a gift
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. capital — money
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. present — there
  20. capital — a city
  21. field — for sport
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — farmland

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