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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. object — an aim
  3. pop — soda
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. wound — an injury
  9. capital — a city
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. capital — money
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wound — an injury
  19. object — a thing
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. object — to protest

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