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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. capital — money
  3. net — after costs
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. object — an aim
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. fall — the season
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. object — a thing
  14. fall — to drop
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a ring
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — for catching
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fall — to drop
  24. net — in sport

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