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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cue — a hint
  4. firm — steady
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rash — hasty
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. firm — a company
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rash — a series
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. firm — decided
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bat — the animal
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. capital — money

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