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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. kid — to tease
  3. capital — money
  4. kid — child
  5. mark — a trace
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. key — the most important part
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mark — a grade
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. key — in music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. fall — the season
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chip — for betting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. fall — to drop
  24. capital — a city

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