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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. object — an aim
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. object — a thing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. object — to protest
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. field — for sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — a subject
  22. band — a ring
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. capital — 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