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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. pit — in a race
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — a face
  6. capital — money
  7. pit — a hole
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. deal — to handle
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — to go on
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mug — a cup
  20. scale — in music
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. last — final
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. file — a line of people

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