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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. capital — money
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — in sport
  8. chair — a leader
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rest — a break
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rest — what's left
  19. season — of the year
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. capital — a big letter
  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