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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. present — the time now
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. capital — a city
  5. press — newspapers
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. present — a gift
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. present — there
  12. fall — to drop
  13. object — an aim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. capital — money
  18. staff — employees
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. fall — the season
  21. mark — a grade
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. fall — to drop

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