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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — money
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. date — the fruit
  9. net — for catching
  10. hand — in cards
  11. deal — to handle
  12. scale — in music
  13. club — a group
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — a city
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hand — help
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. scale — for weighing

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