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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — a hole
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bass — the fish
  13. spell — letters
  14. bass — low music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. capital — a city
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spell — magic

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