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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. rock — music
  4. spring — the season
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — of water
  11. pound — a weight
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. capital — a city
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pit — a hole
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spring — a coil
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chip — for betting
  24. hide — to keep secret

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