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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. capital — money
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. deal — to handle
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. deal — a big deal
  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