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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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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: ground · sharp · bore · kid · capital · fall · racket · press

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kid — child
  6. press — newspapers
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — a position
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — to tire
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. ground — crushed
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — money
  21. kid — to tease
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. ground — the earth
  24. capital — a big letter

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