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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cell — a phone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — money
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. object — an aim
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bank — of a river
  13. object — a thing
  14. court — of a king
  15. capital — a city
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bank — for money
  18. chip — for betting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bank — for money
  23. object — to protest
  24. chip — in a computer

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