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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. clip — a video
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. chip — to eat
  14. march — music
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. capital — a city
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — money
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fall — the season
  24. pit — a hole

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