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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ball — a dance
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a tool
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. staff — employees
  24. patient — a sick person

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