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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mark — a trace
  3. capital — a city
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. net — after costs
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. capital — money
  12. face — to confront
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mine — for digging
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mark — a grade
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. net — in sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mine — an explosive

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