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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cue — for pool
  4. staff — employees
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. scale — in music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cue — a signal
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. capital — a city
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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