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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 big letter
  2. cell — in biology
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. craft — boats
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. content — the amount
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — a skill
  12. content — happy
  13. tube — the underground
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cell — a phone
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tube — a container
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cell — in a prison
  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