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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. scale — size or range
  8. capital — money
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. swing — to play on
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bank — for money
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. scale — in music
  23. stand — to bear
  24. capital — a city

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