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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — in sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — the earth
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. capital — money
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — hurry
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. track — a song
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — a city
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — a position
  22. bank — of a river
  23. track — to keep track
  24. net — after costs

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