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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: present · content · object · hide · can · capital · rush · bat

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. object — a thing
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. can — a tin
  9. content — happy
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — the animal
  13. capital — a city
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — money
  18. object — to protest
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. present — there
  23. object — an aim
  24. content — the amount

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