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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: wake · bay · racket · cabinet · mine · net · capital · deal

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. net — after costs
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — to handle
  20. net — in sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. net — for catching

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