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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. capital — money
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. capital — a city
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. object — a thing
  24. bank — for money

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