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

Word bank: wound · bound · toast · capital · pitcher · cell · pit · rule

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rule — a law
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. capital — a city
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wound — an injury
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. capital — money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — certain
  22. toast — bread
  23. rule — government
  24. pitcher — a jug

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