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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. can — a tin
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. fine — all right
  5. can — to be able to
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lie — to recline
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. net — after costs
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bat — the animal
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fine — high quality
  16. can — a tin
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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