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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mark — a grade
  3. capital — a city
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pit — in a race
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — thin
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mark — a trace
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pit — a hole
  24. capital — money

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