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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 120 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. object — to protest
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. capital — money
  7. object — an aim
  8. track — a song
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. capital — a city
  12. stand — to bear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. net — for catching
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bank — of a river
  19. object — a thing
  20. net — after costs
  21. track — a path
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. net — in sport

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