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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. firm — steady
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hand — in cards
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lie — to recline
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — a city
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. capital — money
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lie — an untruth

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