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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. cap — a lid
  3. can — a tin
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. row — to paddle
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pit — in a race
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cap — of ice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — a line
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. foot — a measure
  17. capital — a city
  18. cap — a hat
  19. chest — a box
  20. capital — money
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chest — of your body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. squash — the sport

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