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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. land — ground
  4. suit — in cards
  5. bank — of a river
  6. capital — money
  7. bank — for money
  8. suit — to fit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — a country
  11. drill — army training
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — to come down
  14. suit — clothes
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. field — a subject
  18. capital — a city
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. field — farmland
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bank — for money

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