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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — a box
  3. capital — a city
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hand — help
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. capital — money
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — music

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