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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spring — a coil
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. net — after costs
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — money
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — for pool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. club — a group
  16. net — for catching
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cue — a signal
  19. club — for golf
  20. net — in sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. capital — a city
  24. nail — on a finger

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