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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. track — a song
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — a city
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cap — a lid
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. capital — money
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rock — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mug — a cup
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — a path
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. track — to keep track

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