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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — for sport
  7. capital — a city
  8. can — to be able to
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. field — a subject
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pit — a hole
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. wound — an injury

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