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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. capital — a city
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. capital — money
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. pit — a hole

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