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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. firm — a company
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. firm — steady
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cap — a lid
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cap — of ice
  24. firm — decided

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