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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — money
  4. bank — for money
  5. net — in sport
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. capital — a city
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bank — for money
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. net — after costs
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — a series

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