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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. capital — money
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. last — finally
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bass — the fish
  16. last — final
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pit — in a race
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. capital — a city
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pound — a weight

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