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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. staff — a stick
  3. capital — a city
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cold — not warm
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — money
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — to crush
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rest — a break
  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