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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wind — moving air
  6. object — to protest
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. present — there
  9. drill — army training
  10. object — an aim
  11. staff — employees
  12. object — a thing
  13. present — the time now
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. staff — a stick
  18. court — of a king
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. court — of law
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. court — for sport

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