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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. 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 King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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. ball — a dance
  4. spring — of water
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spring — a coil
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. branch — a division
  11. spring — the season
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bore — to tire
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. capital — a city
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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