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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: dip · racket · capital · drill · kid · pound · present · board

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pound — a weight
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. present — there
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. capital — money
  14. present — the time now
  15. kid — to tease
  16. capital — a city
  17. kid — child
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. present — a gift
  23. drill — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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