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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 shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. land — a country
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. perch — the fish
  12. capital — a city
  13. land — ground
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fine — all right
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. perch — for a bird

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