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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · capital · field · plane · racket · rash · fine · spell

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fine — all right
  4. cap — a hat
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. spell — a short time
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. rash — hasty
  11. field — a subject
  12. spell — letters
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fine — high quality
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — a series
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. cap — of ice
  24. plane — a tool

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