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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. capital — money
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. roll — a list
  10. fall — the season
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. capital — a city
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pit — in a race
  24. lash — to lash out

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