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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. rush — hurry
  5. capital — a city
  6. object — an aim
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. kid — child
  9. pit — in a race
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. kid — to tease
  15. object — to protest
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. field — farmland
  19. pit — a hole
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. object — a thing
  23. capital — money
  24. nail — for a hammer

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