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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. capital — money
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cell — a phone
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — a city
  9. cell — in biology
  10. net — for catching
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. firm — decided
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — after costs
  22. firm — steady
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — a measure

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