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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 116 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: capital · hide · bat · ruler · field · mouse · swing · pop

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. capital — money
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. swing — to play on
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. swing — music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pop — music
  22. field — a subject
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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