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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — decided
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cell — in biology
  8. staff — a stick
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. staff — employees
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — a phone
  17. firm — steady
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. capital — money
  22. firm — a company
  23. wake — a trail
  24. capital — a city

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