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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: chest · mate · can · pit · fall · bay · mug · capital

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mug — a face
  4. can — a tin
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mug — a cup
  17. fall — to drop
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fall — the season
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chest — a box
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pit — a hole
  24. capital — a city

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