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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · capital · deal · fork · racket · bowl

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. band — a ring
  8. fork — in a road
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. band — a music group
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. capital — a city
  18. racket — for tennis

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