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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. staff — employees
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pop — to visit
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. board — to get on
  12. staff — employees
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. board — a committee
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pop — music
  20. capital — a city
  21. pop — soda
  22. capital — money
  23. sharp — clever
  24. dip — a sauce

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