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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — money
  5. chip — for betting
  6. season — of the year
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. net — after costs
  10. pass — a permit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chip — to eat
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. net — for catching
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. net — in sport
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. prune — the fruit

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