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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 120 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: fan · cabinet · present · mark · net · capital · saw · drill

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. drill — a practice
  3. net — after costs
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. drill — army training
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. present — a gift
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. present — the time now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — there
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mark — a grade
  21. saw — the tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. capital — a big letter
  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