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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bank — for money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pass — a permit
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — for money
  7. drill — army training
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ground — a position
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — money
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — clever

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