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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. capital — a city
  5. present — the time now
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitch — completely
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. present — a gift
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. present — there
  16. charge — a price
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. net — in sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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