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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. capital — a city
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. capital — money
  15. season — in sport
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. season — of the year
  18. wake — a trail

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