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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bank — for money
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. capital — money
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bank — for money
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kid — child
  20. ground — a position
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wake — a trail
  23. capital — a city
  24. pound — to hit hard

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