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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: net · fan · leaves · firm · wound · pit · capital · fine

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — for catching
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. firm — steady
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fine — high quality
  12. firm — a company
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. firm — decided
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. capital — money
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. fine — all right
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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