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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. race — a contest
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. track — a song
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. race — the arms race
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — a path
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. craft — boats
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — a skill
  19. track — to keep track
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — a division
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pound — a weight

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