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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. net — for catching
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. current — happening now
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. snap — to click
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bulb — for light
  18. capital — money
  19. current — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. current — electric
  24. capital — a big letter

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