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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 116 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. perch — the fish
  2. object — to protest
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. present — there
  5. swing — to play on
  6. capital — money
  7. object — a thing
  8. capital — a city
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — the tool
  13. swing — in golf
  14. drill — a practice
  15. present — the time now
  16. swing — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pit — a hole
  21. object — an aim
  22. drill — army training
  23. present — a gift
  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