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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: rock · bore · arm · racket · capital · tear · mate · can

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — a city
  3. bore — to tire
  4. can — a tin
  5. capital — money
  6. bore — to drill
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tear — from crying
  9. can — a tin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tear — to rip
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — a stone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — gave birth

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