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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. staff — employees
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lie — to recline
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a city
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. scale — in music
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. capital — money
  20. date — the fruit
  21. row — to paddle
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. row — a line

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