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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — money
  10. field — for sport
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — all right
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. field — farmland
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kid — to tease

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