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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. net — after costs
  8. row — a line
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mark — a trace
  11. foot — a measure
  12. net — for catching
  13. charge — electricity
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. row — to paddle
  17. charge — a price
  18. capital — money
  19. mark — a grade
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — in control
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bat — for baseball

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