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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a hole
  5. capital — money
  6. perch — the fish
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. capital — a city
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — moving air
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. foot — a measure

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