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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — after costs
  3. capital — a city
  4. net — for catching
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lean — to bend
  10. game — a match
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — in sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. capital — money
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lean — thin

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