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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cue — a hint
  4. staff — a stick
  5. race — the arms race
  6. can — to be able to
  7. march — the month
  8. capital — money
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cue — for pool
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — a thing
  13. staff — employees
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — humankind
  17. object — an aim
  18. cue — a signal
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a city
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — a contest
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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