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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — a hint
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. spring — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pit — in a race
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — to handle
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. file — a document
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a tool
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spring — the season
  24. cue — a signal

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