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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — happy
  4. capital — a city
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — a stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. staff — a stick
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mine — for digging
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. lie — to recline
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — an explosive

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