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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. firm — a company
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. firm — steady
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — for catching
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — a city
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. firm — decided
  17. capital — money
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rash — a series
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. content — happy
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rash — hasty
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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