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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.

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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. capital — money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. object — an aim
  6. bank — of a river
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bank — for money
  10. object — to protest
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — a thing
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. bank — for money
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. capital — a city
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. nail — for a hammer

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