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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. staff — employees
  10. bank — for money
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — a city
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. clip — a video
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bank — of a river
  19. fall — the season
  20. staff — a stick
  21. cell — a phone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. capital — a big letter

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