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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. stock — goods
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stock — shares
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a music group
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bark — to shout
  22. capital — a city
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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