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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pit — in a race
  3. last — to go on
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. capital — money
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. kick — in football
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. last — finally
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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