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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 124 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. staff — employees
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stand — to bear
  5. scale — size or range
  6. capital — money
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. capital — a city
  9. object — a thing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. scale — in music
  22. object — an aim
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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