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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: deal · net · march · pass · bowl · foot · capital · leaves

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — a permit
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. net — for catching
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. march — the month
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. capital — money
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — a city
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. net — after costs
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. march — music
  24. net — in sport

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