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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — soda
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. club — for golf
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pop — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. club — a group
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. capital — money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. hand — help
  21. capital — a city
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rest — a break

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