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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — a face
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mug — to rob
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. track — a path
  10. pit — a hole
  11. capital — money
  12. spring — the season
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pass — a permit
  15. capital — a city
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cap — of ice
  19. track — a song
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pass — to spend time

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