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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — for betting
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — a series
  7. capital — money
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a city
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bark — to shout

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