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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 124 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. capital — a city
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — in sport
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. capital — money
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — of the year
  20. chest — a box
  21. bank — for money
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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