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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. net — for catching
  3. row — a line
  4. deal — to handle
  5. net — in sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. net — after costs
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. capital — a city
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. track — a song
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. capital — money

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