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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. capital — money
  4. fine — high quality
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. chip — for betting
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. chip — to eat
  10. foot — a measure
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — a city
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pit — in a race
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pit — a hole
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bear — the animal

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