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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. capital — money
  6. suit — in cards
  7. pit — a hole
  8. suit — to fit
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pit — in a race
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tear — to rip
  18. capital — a city
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. suit — clothes
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. straw — a straw man

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