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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. staff — a stick
  4. present — the time now
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a document
  8. cue — a signal
  9. staff — employees
  10. swing — to play on
  11. present — there
  12. fine — high quality
  13. swing — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cue — for pool
  16. swing — in golf
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fine — all right
  19. present — a gift
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a tool
  22. capital — money
  23. cue — a hint
  24. capital — a city

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