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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bank — for money
  4. band — a music group
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — a city
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mug — to rob
  13. band — a ring
  14. court — of a king
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. capital — money
  22. bank — for money
  23. mug — a cup
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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