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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — a group
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. fall — the season
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fall — to drop
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a song
  21. club — for golf
  22. track — a path
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. capital — a big letter

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