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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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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 · lean · key · deal · swing · bore · field

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. swing — to play on
  4. deal — to handle
  5. field — a subject
  6. bore — to drill
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — for sport
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. key — for a lock
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — in music
  18. swing — music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — thin
  24. bore — to tire

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