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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 120 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. capital — money
  4. pit — in a race
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — a stick
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. content — happy
  17. track — a path
  18. content — the amount
  19. mark — a grade
  20. hand — help
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mark — a trace
  24. track — a song

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