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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. shower — to wash
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. current — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fall — the season
  18. shower — rain
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — happening now
  21. pit — in a race
  22. current — electric
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. patient — a sick person

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