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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. file — a document
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — money
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. capital — a city
  22. fall — the season
  23. pit — in a race
  24. calf — a young animal

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