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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. capital — a city
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pit — a hole
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — money
  19. chip — for betting
  20. can — a tin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chip — to eat
  23. can — a tin
  24. wake — a trail

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