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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. net — in sport
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. net — after costs
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mate — a partner
  8. capital — a city
  9. object — to protest
  10. mate — a friend
  11. key — in music
  12. key — the most important part
  13. capital — money
  14. game — a match
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — for catching
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. object — an aim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mate — to breed
  23. game — wild animals
  24. capital — a big letter

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