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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pop — to visit
  3. net — for catching
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. dip — to sink
  6. capital — a city
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pop — soda
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. net — in sport
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. vault — a safe
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. capital — a big letter

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