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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — in sport
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. capital — a city
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. firm — a company
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. firm — decided
  22. capital — money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. firm — steady

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