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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: capital · game · pop · band · firm · saw · perch · deal

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. deal — to handle
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. firm — decided
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pop — to visit
  11. capital — a city
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — music
  14. band — a ring
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. game — wild animals
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. band — a music group
  21. game — a match
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. capital — money
  24. perch — for a bird

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