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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — to push
  4. band — a music group
  5. bank — for money
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pound — a weight
  8. band — a ring
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. capital — money
  14. press — a publisher
  15. sharp — clever
  16. capital — a city
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lie — to recline
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. court — of law
  23. bank — of a river
  24. press — newspapers

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