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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cell — in biology
  3. capital — money
  4. row — to paddle
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — of a river
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. tube — a container
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cell — a phone
  17. row — a line
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bank — for money
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bank — for money
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — in a tire

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