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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. charge — in control
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. shower — rain
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. capital — a city
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — money
  18. bear — the animal
  19. charge — a price
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. charge — electricity
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — a hole

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