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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. net — for catching
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. capital — a city
  9. toast — bread
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — money
  13. branch — a division
  14. ground — crushed
  15. net — in sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lean — to bend
  19. net — after costs
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. can — to be able to
  24. lean — thin

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