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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cap — a lid
  3. lean — thin
  4. mug — to rob
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mug — a face
  7. bank — of a river
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bank — for money
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — of ice
  21. date — the fruit
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lean — to bend

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