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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — for money
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. capital — money
  8. object — an aim
  9. net — for catching
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bank — for money
  12. capital — a city
  13. wake — a trail
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. net — in sport
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — to protest
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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