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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. press — to push
  6. drill — the tool
  7. capital — a city
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kick — in football
  17. press — a publisher
  18. drill — army training
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. capital — money
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. wake — before a funeral

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