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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — in a race
  6. capital — money
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. file — a tool
  9. snap — to click
  10. file — a document
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — of law
  17. season — in sport
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. capital — a city
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — of a king
  23. pit — a hole
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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