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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: racket · tube · kid · court · bowl · bore · capital · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kid — child
  5. court — of a king
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bore — to tire
  10. capital — a city
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. court — for sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tube — a container
  23. capital — money
  24. racket — a loud noise

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