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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. row — to paddle
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — newspapers
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — there
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. press — to push
  12. degree — an amount
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — a line
  15. press — a publisher
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — the time now
  23. stock — goods
  24. staff — employees

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