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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: pit · present · object · hand · rule · capital · hide · kid

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pit — in a race
  3. hand — help
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. kid — child
  8. present — there
  9. object — to protest
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — government
  12. hand — in cards
  13. object — a thing
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. kid — to tease
  17. capital — a city
  18. object — an aim
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rule — a law
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a hole

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