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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. chest — a box
  3. lean — thin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a ring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. prune — to trim
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. band — a music group
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pit — a hole
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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