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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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468
Word bank
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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pit — in a race
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spring — the season
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fine — high quality
  10. spring — of water
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — all right
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. toast — bread
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pit — a hole
  18. capital — money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fine — a penalty

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