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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. last — final
  3. present — the time now
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. present — a gift
  12. mark — a grade
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mark — a trace
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. staff — a stick
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — money
  24. present — there

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