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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. saw — the tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — money
  9. net — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pass — a permit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. foot — a measure
  17. branch — a division
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — for catching
  22. capital — a city
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. stand — on your feet

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