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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bowl · capital · fan · net · bay · pit · leaves · sharp

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. capital — a city
  3. net — after costs
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. net — in sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. capital — money
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pit — a hole
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — in a race

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