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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — letters
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rash — a series
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spell — magic
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mark — a grade
  20. capital — a city
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. capital — money

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