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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stem — to come from
  6. key — the most important part
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. capital — a city
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. lie — to recline
  18. key — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. row — a line
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. court — of law

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