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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: spring · bay · pass · row · capital · net · hand · jam

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. capital — money
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — a city
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — after costs
  16. pass — a permit
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. hand — help
  19. row — a line
  20. spring — of water
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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