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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — letters
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — for catching
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — a stick
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. spell — magic

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