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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. last — to go on
  5. fork — in a road
  6. last — final
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cap — of ice
  10. capital — money
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — goods
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — shares
  22. net — after costs
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cap — a lid

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