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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — army training
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — a practice
  6. capital — a city
  7. staff — a stick
  8. drill — the tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — wild animals
  15. capital — money
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. game — a match
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. craft — a skill
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chest — of your body
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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