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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. capital — money
  9. pit — a hole
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. current — happening now
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. current — electric
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chair — a leader
  24. current — of water

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