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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rule — a law
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rule — government
  7. tear — from crying
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pit — a hole
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. deal — to handle
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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