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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — to recline
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. rush — hurry
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — employees
  9. lean — thin
  10. mug — a cup
  11. staff — a stick
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mug — a face
  14. capital — a city
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mug — to rob
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. capital — money
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. date — on the calendar

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