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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — to rip
  5. branch — a division
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. staff — a stick
  8. capital — a city
  9. land — a country
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — a law
  12. tear — from crying
  13. land — ground
  14. rule — government
  15. staff — employees
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tear — from crying
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — clever

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