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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. track — to keep track
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — tied together
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. capital — a city
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bank — for money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bound — certain
  22. capital — money
  23. bank — for money
  24. jam — a tight spot

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