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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. bank — for money
  2. last — final
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. last — finally
  7. capital — money
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. capital — a city
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — a gift
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. last — to go on
  15. bank — for money
  16. present — there
  17. present — the time now
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fine — all right
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — hurry
  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