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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — a company
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. kick — in football
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. staff — a stick
  9. firm — steady
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. staff — employees
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. staff — employees
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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