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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — finally
  7. net — in sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — for catching
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mine — for digging
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. last — final

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