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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. kid — to tease
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. track — a path
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — to keep track
  11. can — a tin
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. staff — employees
  15. capital — money
  16. mug — a cup
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — child
  19. wake — a trail
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mug — a face
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — to be able to

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