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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — in sport
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — a city
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. roll — a list
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — for catching
  15. rest — a break
  16. roll — a cake
  17. capital — money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cue — a signal
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. club — a group

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