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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. suit — to fit
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fall — to drop
  10. suit — clothes
  11. kid — child
  12. current — happening now
  13. capital — a city
  14. current — electric
  15. fall — the season
  16. mark — a grade
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. kid — to tease
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — of water
  24. suit — in cards

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