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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mate — to breed
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. net — after costs
  5. pop — music
  6. net — in sport
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. capital — a city
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — decided
  17. net — for catching
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. capital — money
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pop — to visit

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