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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chest — a box
  5. capital — a city
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. game — a match
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bank — of a river
  16. club — for golf
  17. game — wild animals
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. bank — for money
  21. fork — in a road
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. club — a group

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