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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pound — a weight
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. last — final
  11. capital — money
  12. wake — a trail
  13. capital — a city
  14. file — a document
  15. last — to go on
  16. pit — a hole
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. file — a tool
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. file — a line of people
  24. last — finally

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