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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. net — after costs
  3. rest — what's left
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. capital — a city
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. branch — a division
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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