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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mate — to breed
  4. capital — money
  5. clip — a video
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mate — a partner
  8. object — to protest
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. pit — a hole
  12. object — a thing
  13. season — of the year
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — an aim
  16. capital — a city
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. suit — in cards

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