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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. key — in music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. lean — to bend
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. toast — bread
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. net — in sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — for catching
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — in music
  21. lean — thin
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. scale — for weighing

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