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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bank — for money
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bank — for money
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. spring — the season
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. current — electric
  14. capital — a city
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. clip — a video
  17. current — of water
  18. capital — money
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. current — happening now
  21. hand — help
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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