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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: fan · bay · pitcher · capital · racket · can · date · spring

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a city
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spring — a coil
  7. can — a tin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — of water
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitcher — a jug

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