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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. staff — employees
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. staff — a stick
  12. content — the amount
  13. spring — of water
  14. staff — employees
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — help
  17. spring — the season
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — a weight
  23. capital — a city
  24. content — happy

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