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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rock — music
  3. mug — a face
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitch — completely
  13. capital — a city
  14. rock — a stone
  15. staff — a stick
  16. capital — money
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mug — a cup
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wake — before a funeral

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