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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cell — a phone
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. sharp — clever
  10. capital — a city
  11. net — for catching
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mug — a face
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mark — a grade
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. perch — for a bird

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