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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — after costs
  3. game — wild animals
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. net — for catching
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. net — in sport
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. season — in sport
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rule — government
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rule — a law
  21. bear — the animal
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. racket — for tennis

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