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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bank — for money
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. track — a song
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. track — a path
  12. bank — of a river
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — happy
  21. lie — to recline
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — for tennis

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