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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
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: content · ball · object · capital · deal · sharp · racket · stem

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. capital — money
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. object — a thing
  9. content — happy
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. sharp — clever
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. capital — a city
  24. content — videos and posts

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