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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pit — in a race
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. clip — for paper
  12. capital — money
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — a video
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. toast — bread
  21. capital — a city
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chair — to sit on

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