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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. last — final
  3. staff — a stick
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — money
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. suit — clothes
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. staff — employees
  23. suit — to fit
  24. last — finally

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