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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. track — to keep track
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — a song
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. shower — rain
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — the season
  11. bass — low music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stand — to bear
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — a path
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bass — the fish
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — of a river

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