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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 124 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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. mark — a grade
  4. charge — in control
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a line of people
  8. march — music
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — after costs

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