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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. capital — a city
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — in sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — for catching
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. kid — child
  14. capital — money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. drill — the tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — a hole
  21. net — after costs
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. suit — clothes
  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