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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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 — for catching
  2. capital — money
  3. pop — to visit
  4. net — after costs
  5. cap — of ice
  6. net — in sport
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bound — certain
  9. cap — a hat
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bound — obliged
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. capital — a city
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bound — tied together
  16. toast — bread
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pop — soda
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pop — music
  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