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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: racket · mate · bank · craft · kid · fan · capital · content

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a city
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bank — for money
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bank — of a river
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. mate — to breed
  24. content — videos and posts

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