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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. net — in sport
  5. capital — money
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — a city
  8. scale — in music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. staff — a stick
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. squash — the sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. squash — to crush
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — after costs

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