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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. suit — in cards
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. suit — clothes
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. clip — a video
  12. hand — help
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. clip — to cut
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wake — a trail
  20. capital — a city
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. clip — for paper
  24. temple — a place of worship

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