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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: staff · snap · capital · net · lie · mate · leaves · last

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. net — for catching
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. net — after costs
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — in sport
  10. last — final
  11. capital — money
  12. mate — a partner
  13. staff — employees
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lie — to recline
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. snap — to click
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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