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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — for catching
  3. capital — money
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. net — after costs
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. ball — a great time
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — clever
  22. net — in sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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