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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. staff — a stick
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rule — government
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — a law
  16. mark — a trace
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a line
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mark — a grade
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. row — to paddle
  24. nail — for a hammer

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