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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. scale — in music
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — a city
  6. file — a tool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — for money
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bank — of a river
  18. file — a document

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