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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rest — a break
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fine — all right
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — a city
  11. rest — what's left
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fine — high quality
  14. capital — money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. swing — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. swing — in golf
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pit — a hole

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