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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. object — a thing
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — a series
  18. object — to protest
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. capital — a city
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. object — an aim

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