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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. plane — a tool
  3. capital — a city
  4. net — after costs
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — a box
  14. last — final
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rock — music
  19. last — to go on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. chest — of your body
  22. last — finally
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. net — for catching

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