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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 120 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: game · band · rash · bank · suit · court · capital · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. game — a match
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — for sport
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rash — hasty
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. suit — to fit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a ring
  18. capital — money
  19. suit — clothes
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — a series
  22. court — of law
  23. capital — a city
  24. court — of a king

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