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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: ball · rock · capital · chest · pit · snap · calf · rash

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — a stone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — of your body
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. capital — a city
  20. ball — a dance
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a great time

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