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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.

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: ball · last · mouse · pound · capital · net · mate · cabinet

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — final
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. last — finally
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. capital — a city
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — in sport
  19. capital — money
  20. last — to go on
  21. net — for catching
  22. mate — a partner
  23. ball — a great time
  24. cabinet — ministers

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