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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. track — a song
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. staff — employees
  8. drill — a practice
  9. capital — a city
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — from crying
  17. track — a path
  18. drill — army training
  19. track — to keep track
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. straw — a straw man

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