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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · present · prune · capital · rule · current · net · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. present — the time now
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. capital — a city
  6. present — a gift
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. present — there
  12. current — of water
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mark — a trace
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — a law
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — after costs
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. capital — money
  22. net — for catching
  23. rule — government
  24. net — in sport

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