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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. capital — money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bore — to drill
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tear — to rip
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bulb — for light
  17. capital — a city
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bat — the animal

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