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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. spring — the season
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fine — high quality
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. club — a group
  10. fine — all right
  11. craft — boats
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a skill
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. club — for golf
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. capital — a city
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spring — of water
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — a hole

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