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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bank — for money
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — money
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bulb — for light
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — wild animals
  24. arm — part of the body

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