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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. swing — music
  14. net — after costs
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. swing — to play on
  20. net — for catching
  21. swing — in golf
  22. net — in sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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