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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. capital — money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pit — a hole
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. capital — a city
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pit — in a race
  23. stand — to bear
  24. board — a flat piece

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