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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · ball · straw · rash · fine · pit

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rash — a series
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ball — a great time
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ball — a dance
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. capital — a city

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