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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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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 · capital · wake · season · land · rash · dip · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — hasty
  5. land — a country
  6. capital — money
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — to sink
  11. land — to come down
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — a city
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. land — ground
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. dip — to dunk

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