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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: mine · bowl · deal · fine · land · roll · capital · cabinet

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. land — ground
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — a city
  9. fine — high quality
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fine — all right
  18. capital — money
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. land — a country
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. land — to come down

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