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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pit — in a race
  5. fall — to drop
  6. capital — money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. pop — music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pop — soda
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. pit — a hole
  23. fall — the season
  24. pop — to visit

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