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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. capital — money
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hand — in cards
  13. present — there
  14. hand — help
  15. squash — to crush
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rest — what's left
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. rest — a break
  24. foot — a measure

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