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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: swing · capital · bear · cap · root · net · rest · racket

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — for catching
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. capital — money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cap — a lid
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. cap — a hat
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — a break
  18. capital — a city
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cap — of ice
  21. root — of a word
  22. swing — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. swing — to play on

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