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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 116 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. board — to get on
  6. net — in sport
  7. suit — to fit
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. suit — in cards
  11. court — of law
  12. net — after costs
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. snap — to click
  15. capital — money
  16. court — of a king
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a city
  19. board — a committee
  20. suit — clothes
  21. fork — in a road
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — for sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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