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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 116 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — a city
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — electric
  18. snap — to click
  19. pit — in a race
  20. current — happening now
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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