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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: leaves · bat · racket · land · capital · present · pop · stand

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a city
  4. land — to come down
  5. present — the time now
  6. capital — money
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. land — a country
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stand — to bear
  12. land — ground
  13. pop — to visit
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. present — a gift

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