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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. staff — a stick
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. capital — a city
  7. race — humankind
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cell — in biology
  10. dip — to sink
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. race — a contest
  14. staff — employees
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pound — a weight
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. saw — the tool
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cell — a phone

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