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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. scale — size or range
  3. kid — to tease
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bound — obliged
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. capital — a city
  8. scale — in music
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. kid — child
  13. staff — a stick
  14. capital — money
  15. mark — a grade
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. season — of the year
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bound — certain
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. staff — employees
  24. mark — a trace

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