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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — in sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bank — of a river
  7. net — after costs
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. capital — a city
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. roll — a list
  14. march — the month
  15. net — for catching
  16. can — a tin
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — a cake
  20. mine — for digging
  21. march — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. capital — a big letter

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