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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — for catching
  4. rock — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — in sport
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. dip — to sink
  23. net — after costs
  24. perch — the fish

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