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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. net — for catching
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. degree — from a university
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. spring — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — in sport
  13. capital — a city
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. dip — to sink
  19. degree — temperature
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. net — after costs
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. foot — the bottom

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