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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. staff — employees
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. capital — money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lean — thin
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cap — a lid
  14. lean — to bend
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — a city
  18. chest — a box
  19. foot — a measure
  20. staff — a stick
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rush — hurry
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rush — a thrill

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