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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: bore · board · pop · capital · fan · kid · racket · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. capital — a city
  3. board — to get on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to drill
  10. board — a committee
  11. pop — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — child
  14. pop — to visit
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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