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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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Word bank
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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pit — in a race
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. capital — a city
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. capital — money
  10. present — the time now
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tear — to rip
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kick — in football
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. present — there
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. date — on the calendar

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