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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. track — a song
  4. capital — a city
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — money
  11. hand — help
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. track — a path
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pit — in a race
  24. arm — a part of something

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