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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — a city
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. net — after costs
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — for catching
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ball — a dance
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ball — a great time
  20. stem — to come from
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. bulb — for light
  24. safe — out of danger

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