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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — a city
  3. scale — in music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bank — for money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. scale — size or range
  12. row — to paddle
  13. kid — to tease
  14. capital — money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. present — there
  20. row — a line
  21. fall — the season
  22. present — a gift
  23. fall — to drop
  24. toast — bread

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