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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. deal — to handle
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. net — for catching
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. net — after costs
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mine — for digging
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. capital — money
  14. foot — a measure
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. nail — for a hammer

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