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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. content — happy
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — money
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. capital — a city
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chair — a leader
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pit — in a race
  20. content — the amount
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pit — a hole

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