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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tube — a container
  4. net — after costs
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — of a king
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. capital — money
  12. tube — the underground
  13. club — a group
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of law
  17. capital — a city
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pound — a weight
  21. net — for catching
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — for sport
  24. club — for golf

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