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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rest — what's left
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rest — a break
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. ball — a great time
  21. tear — to rip
  22. staff — employees
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. staff — a stick

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