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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. firm — a company
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. capital — a city
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. firm — decided
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. charge — a price
  18. firm — steady
  19. charge — in control
  20. net — for catching
  21. capital — money
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. charge — electricity

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