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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — employees
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mug — to rob
  7. object — a thing
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — to handle
  10. scale — size or range
  11. net — for catching
  12. capital — money
  13. mug — a cup
  14. track — to keep track
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. object — to protest
  17. scale — in music
  18. net — in sport
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — after costs
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. mug — a face
  24. object — an aim

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