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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — steady
  4. toast — bread
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wind — moving air
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. capital — a city
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — money
  15. rock — a stone
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — a box
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. chest — of your body
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. pit — in a race

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