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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. capital — a city
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. row — to paddle
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. row — a line
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — money
  17. present — a gift
  18. season — of the year

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