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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — to keep track
  5. scale — in music
  6. field — farmland
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. season — in sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. staff — employees
  12. capital — a city
  13. staff — employees
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. track — a song
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. track — a path
  19. season — of the year
  20. field — for sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. scale — size or range

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