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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · capital · arm · degree · ball · wave · bowl · club

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. club — a group
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. club — for golf
  7. ball — a dance
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. degree — temperature
  19. capital — money
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. capital — a city
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bowl — a dish

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