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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — tied together
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bound — obliged
  7. snap — to click
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bound — certain
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — to rob
  15. capital — a city
  16. can — to be able to
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. capital — money
  19. mine — for digging
  20. can — a tin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — a stick
  23. kid — child
  24. mug — a face

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