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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. capital — money
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. capital — a city
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. clip — to cut
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — all right
  15. clip — a video
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fine — high quality
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bound — certain
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bound — tied together
  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