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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mark — a grade
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — the cause
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bowl — a dish

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