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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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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: plane · mug · pit · straw · firm · bay · capital · chest

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — decided
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — a face
  10. pit — a hole
  11. firm — a company
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mug — to rob
  17. chest — a box
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mug — a cup
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. firm — steady
  23. capital — money
  24. pit — in a race

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