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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 second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. rash — a series
  3. band — a music group
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. row — a line
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. rash — hasty
  24. capital — a city

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