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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. net — after costs
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — in sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. net — for catching
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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