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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. fine — all right
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pit — in a race
  8. tube — the underground
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. scale — in music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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