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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chair — a leader
  5. capital — a city
  6. net — after costs
  7. craft — boats
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. net — in sport
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. game — wild animals
  15. capital — money
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — a skill
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — for catching
  21. land — a country
  22. game — a match
  23. land — to come down
  24. bank — for money

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