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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pass — a permit
  12. net — for catching
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. capital — a city
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. can — a tin
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. rash — a series

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