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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a city
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a hole
  8. mark — a grade
  9. hand — help
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — in a race
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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