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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: capital · bank · board · rest · sharp · bowl · land · roll

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — a country
  9. rest — what's left
  10. board — to get on
  11. land — ground
  12. bank — for money
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. roll — a list
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. capital — money
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a city
  21. land — to come down
  22. rest — a break
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. sharp — clever

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