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

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. last — final
  3. cap — of ice
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — in cards
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. staff — employees
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — a hat
  18. kick — in football
  19. staff — employees
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. last — to go on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chair — to sit on

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