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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. staff — a stick
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. foot — a measure
  6. capital — a city
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. scale — in music
  10. season — in sport
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cell — a phone
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cell — in biology
  16. season — of the year
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. capital — money
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. staff — employees
  24. ruler — a monarch

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