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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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 a prison
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. capital — a city
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. key — in music
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mark — a grade
  19. key — for a lock
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — money
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — wild animals

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