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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. capital — money
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. craft — a skill
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — boats
  14. bore — to tire
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. pit — in a race
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bore — to drill
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pit — a hole

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