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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. band — a music group
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. toast — bread
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chest — a box
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. capital — a city
  19. ball — a great time
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — money
  24. fall — to drop

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