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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. staff — employees
  10. file — a tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. staff — a stick
  14. press — to push
  15. deal — to handle
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. press — a publisher
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. file — a document
  23. press — newspapers
  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