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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — for money
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a friend
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a music group
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. squash — to crush
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. capital — a city
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mate — to breed
  24. squash — the sport

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