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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 116 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tear — to rip
  3. staff — employees
  4. capital — a city
  5. season — of the year
  6. net — for catching
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bound — tied together
  11. season — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — after costs
  14. capital — money
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bound — certain
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — from crying
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ball — a great time
  23. net — in sport
  24. staff — employees

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