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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.

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: wind · firm · bound · bowl · capital · net · game · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bound — certain
  3. firm — steady
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bound — tied together
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. net — for catching
  13. capital — a city
  14. bound — obliged
  15. firm — a company
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. firm — decided
  19. net — in sport
  20. game — a match
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — in golf
  24. net — after costs

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