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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. staff — employees
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. staff — a stick
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a city
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. capital — money
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a document
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — music
  15. dip — to sink
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a tool
  23. march — the month
  24. cabinet — ministers

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