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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a face
  5. ground — a position
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. capital — money
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  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