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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cold — not warm
  3. capital — a city
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — in sport
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — after costs
  9. cold — an illness
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pit — a hole
  18. season — in sport
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — for catching
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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