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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 116 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: bat · spell · swing · sharp · cabinet · fan · bank · capital

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — music
  3. bank — for money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. capital — money
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bank — for money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — a city
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bank — of a river
  17. swing — in golf
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. spell — a short time
  24. swing — to play on

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