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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rule — a law
  4. capital — money
  5. firm — a company
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. firm — steady
  16. pit — in a race
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. lean — thin
  20. firm — decided
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pit — a hole
  24. staff — employees

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