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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. track — a path
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. staff — employees
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a city
  9. track — to keep track
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. track — a song
  16. cue — a signal
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — for digging

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