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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. toast — bread
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. craft — a skill
  5. capital — a city
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. capital — money
  10. fine — all right
  11. firm — decided
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. drill — a practice
  14. file — a document
  15. firm — steady
  16. net — in sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. firm — a company
  23. file — a tool
  24. drill — army training

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