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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. current — happening now
  12. mug — a cup
  13. capital — a city
  14. current — electric
  15. capital — money
  16. rest — a break
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. kid — child
  21. current — of water
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mug — a face

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