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

Word bank: cold · last · net · bay · pit · capital · suit · branch

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. suit — in cards
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. suit — to fit
  5. last — final
  6. net — after costs
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cold — not warm
  9. capital — a city
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — finally
  17. suit — clothes
  18. net — in sport
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. capital — money
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pit — a hole
  23. branch — a division
  24. last — to go on

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