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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rash — a series
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. capital — money
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bass — low music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — the fish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stand — to bear
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bark — to shout
  20. net — for catching
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. net — in sport
  24. capital — a city

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