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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. firm — a company
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. firm — steady
  9. plane — a tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. net — for catching
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mug — a face
  15. suit — to fit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. net — in sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — after costs
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ball — a great time

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