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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. capital — a city
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. pit — in a race
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a hole
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. race — humankind
  11. fine — all right
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. race — a contest
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. foot — a measure
  20. prune — to trim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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