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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — a hint
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rock — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tube — the underground
  12. capital — a city
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. drill — a practice
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cue — a signal
  23. tube — a container
  24. foot — a measure

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