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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mug — a cup
  4. capital — a city
  5. mug — a face
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mug — to rob
  11. land — to come down
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. staff — employees
  18. capital — money
  19. land — a country
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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