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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fine — all right
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bank — for money
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bank — for money
  11. chip — for betting
  12. drill — army training
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bank — of a river
  19. shower — rain
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chip — to eat
  22. capital — a city
  23. fine — high quality
  24. drill — the tool

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