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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 120 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
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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: rush · bowl · trunk · file · wave · court · deal · capital

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. court — of law
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. capital — a city
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. court — for sport
  12. file — a tool
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. court — of a king
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. capital — money
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rush — hurry

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