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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: jam · straw · pit · ball · firm · kid · rash · capital

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pit — a hole
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rash — a series
  5. ball — a dance
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — steady
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. capital — money
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kid — child
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — hasty
  18. capital — a city
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. firm — decided
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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