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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. rock — a stone
  5. file — a document
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. firm — steady
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. rest — what's left

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