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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: stick · row · bowl · capital · land · jam · date · scale

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. capital — money
  14. row — a line
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. scale — size or range
  17. land — a country
  18. date — the fruit
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. capital — a city
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. scale — in music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bowl — to roll

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