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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. band — a ring
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cue — for pool
  9. key — the most important part
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. key — in music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. key — for a lock
  17. tube — a container
  18. capital — a city
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cue — a signal
  23. band — a music group
  24. net — in sport

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