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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ball — a dance
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. shower — rain
  15. capital — a city
  16. shower — to wash
  17. capital — money
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — an explosive

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