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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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. key — in music
  3. fall — to drop
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mug — to rob
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mug — a face
  9. clip — to cut
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — money
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — a cup
  15. fall — the season
  16. clip — for paper
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. capital — a city
  22. key — the most important part
  23. clip — a video
  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