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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · stick · net · last · court · row · capital · file

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. net — in sport
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. last — final
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. row — to paddle
  11. last — finally
  12. court — of a king
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — a city
  15. file — a document
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. row — a line
  22. last — to go on
  23. spring — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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