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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.

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: lie · kid · capital · game · bowl · bass · field · rock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bass — low music
  4. capital — money
  5. kid — to tease
  6. field — a subject
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kid — child
  12. bass — the fish
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. capital — a city
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. game — a match

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