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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — of law
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mate — a friend
  8. march — music
  9. root — of a plant
  10. march — the month
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — the cause
  13. capital — money
  14. wound — an injury
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — to breed
  19. charge — electricity
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. capital — a city

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