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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. root — of a word
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — a contest
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. net — in sport
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. capital — a city
  14. race — humankind
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. root — the cause
  18. bank — for money
  19. root — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bank — for money
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. plane — a tool

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