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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. kid — to tease
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. object — a thing
  7. spring — of water
  8. kid — child
  9. object — an aim
  10. staff — employees
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. capital — a city
  15. spring — the season
  16. rest — a break
  17. staff — a stick
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. staff — employees
  24. date — the fruit

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