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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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Word bank
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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: bowl · arm · capital · bass · bear · bound · stock · club

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — for golf
  5. bear — the animal
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bass — low music
  8. capital — a city
  9. stock — shares
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bound — certain
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stock — goods
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bound — tied together
  22. capital — money
  23. bear — to put up with
  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