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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: row · last · kid · capital · saw · bound · season · bowl

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bound — tied together
  4. capital — money
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bound — certain
  7. last — finally
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. last — final
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — obliged
  17. kid — to tease
  18. season — of the year
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — to go on
  22. kid — child
  23. capital — a city
  24. season — to add flavour

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