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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. shower — rain
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a city
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — in a race
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — to handle
  21. swing — music
  22. pit — a hole
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. shower — to wash

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