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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. capital — a city
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. sharp — clever
  6. capital — money
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — after costs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. court — for sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. net — in sport
  21. march — music
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. court — of law
  24. straw — a straw man

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