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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: pit · chest · capital · rock · board · date · deal · bear

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. deal — to handle
  6. board — a committee
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chest — a box
  13. capital — money
  14. pit — in a race
  15. capital — a city
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. board — to get on
  22. chest — of your body
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bear — the animal

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