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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — rain
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — to wash
  7. club — for dancing
  8. capital — money
  9. mate — to breed
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — a leader
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — a partner
  14. capital — a city
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. club — a group
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. club — for golf

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