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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — a path
  6. fork — in a road
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. track — a song
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. capital — a city
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. capital — money
  16. mate — a friend
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — a partner
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. deal — to handle
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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