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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. net — in sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — a division
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — a city
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. march — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. snap — to click
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. kick — in football
  23. capital — money
  24. march — the month

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