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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. capital — a city
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. capital — money
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. plane — a tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. press — to push
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. object — a thing
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. staff — employees
  20. object — an aim
  21. drill — army training
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. press — a publisher

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