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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: rash · capital · march · craft · object · bowl · fan · hand

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. march — music
  4. hand — help
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. capital — a city
  12. object — an aim
  13. rash — a series
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. rash — hasty
  19. craft — a skill
  20. craft — boats
  21. capital — money
  22. object — to protest
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. object — a thing

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