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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: net · present · cap · capital · wind · mouse · calf · toast

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — a gift
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. present — there
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. net — in sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. net — after costs
  14. cap — a hat
  15. toast — bread
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. cap — of ice
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — the time now
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mouse — the animal

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