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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. last — finally
  4. capital — a city
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — completely
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. chair — a leader
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. staff — a stick
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  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