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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. present — a gift
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — a break
  5. present — there
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. capital — a city
  17. pop — soda
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. present — the time now
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wound — an injury

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