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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. dip — to sink
  3. net — after costs
  4. saw — the tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. net — for catching
  9. rush — hurry
  10. file — a line of people
  11. capital — money
  12. file — a tool
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bank — of a river
  16. net — in sport
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bank — for money
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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