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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. club — a group
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chest — a box
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pit — a hole
  10. club — for dancing
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. capital — money
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — 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