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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — a hole
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pop — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. capital — a city
  8. scale — in music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pop — soda
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — a leader
  20. net — for catching
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — after costs
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chair — a professorship

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