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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. present — the time now
  3. roll — a cake
  4. staff — employees
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wind — moving air
  7. present — a gift
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hand — help
  10. capital — a city
  11. fall — the season
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. roll — a list
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. present — there
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fall — to drop
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wind — moving air
  23. staff — a stick
  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