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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. net — after costs
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. last — final
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. board — a committee
  7. net — for catching
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. board — to get on
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. capital — a city
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bass — low music
  16. net — in sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bass — the fish
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. last — finally
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. last — to go on
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bass — the instrument

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