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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. capital — a city
  7. band — a music group
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pitch — completely
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. capital — money
  14. row — a line
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — moving air
  17. club — for golf
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bank — for money
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wind — moving air
  24. band — a ring

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