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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 120 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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — a hole
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. board — a committee
  5. capital — a city
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. hand — in cards
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. shower — rain
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. capital — money
  18. board — to get on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hand — help
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pit — in a race

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