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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. fine — all right
  5. capital — a city
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bass — the fish
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bank — of a river
  15. snap — to click
  16. bank — for money
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — after costs
  19. fine — high quality
  20. capital — money
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  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