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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. club — for dancing
  7. capital — money
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. club — a group
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. capital — a city
  15. staff — employees
  16. club — for golf
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — all right

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