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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. race — humankind
  5. season — in sport
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — a contest
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — to shout
  12. capital — a city
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. capital — money
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. kid — child

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