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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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a document
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mug — to rob
  10. file — a tool
  11. mug — a cup
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — for catching
  15. capital — money
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mark — a grade
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. bass — low music
  21. saw — the tool
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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