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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. net — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — money
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — ground
  10. capital — a city
  11. content — happy
  12. land — to come down
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. land — a country
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. content — the amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stand — to bear
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. pitcher — a jug

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