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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pit — in a race
  3. suit — to fit
  4. capital — money
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — a coil
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — of water
  15. wake — a trail
  16. capital — a city
  17. spring — the season
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rest — a break
  20. rash — a series
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — a line
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. suit — clothes

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