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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. net — after costs
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — newspapers
  8. can — to be able to
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — magic
  12. press — a publisher
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — letters
  15. mate — a friend
  16. press — to push
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mate — to breed
  19. net — in sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. spell — a short time
  24. can — a tin

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