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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 · lie · coach · pit · deal · capital · wind · mark

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. capital — a city
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mark — a grade
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mark — a trace
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pit — in a race
  19. capital — money
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pit — a hole
  24. wind — moving air

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