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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — of your body
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cold — an illness
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to drill
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bank — of a river
  18. staff — employees
  19. chest — a box
  20. bank — for money
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — employees
  24. bank — for money

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