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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wake — a trail
  4. net — for catching
  5. last — final
  6. object — an aim
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. object — to protest
  15. roll — a list
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — after costs
  22. capital — a city
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. object — a thing

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