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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pit — a hole
  4. capital — money
  5. stand — to bear
  6. capital — a city
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rule — a law
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pop — to visit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chest — a box
  19. pop — music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. scale — in music
  22. rule — government
  23. pop — soda
  24. chest — of your body

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