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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — a series
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. capital — money
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. capital — a city
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rock — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wind — moving air
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rash — on the skin

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