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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chest — of your body
  3. capital — a city
  4. fork — in a road
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. chest — a box
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mug — a face
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — a container
  15. mug — to rob
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. tube — in a tire

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