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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 120 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: track · net · kid · band · pit · ground · capital · bowl

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. track — a song
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. ground — a position
  7. net — for catching
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. net — in sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. net — after costs
  17. capital — money
  18. band — a ring
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a city
  21. pit — a hole
  22. track — to keep track
  23. band — a music group
  24. kid — to tease

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