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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pass — a permit
  3. staff — a stick
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rule — a law
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. capital — a city
  15. cue — a hint
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — government
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. tear — to rip

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