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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. staff — employees
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. capital — money
  8. ground — the earth
  9. capital — a city
  10. mark — a trace
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ground — crushed
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fine — all right
  23. ground — a position
  24. capital — a big letter

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