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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. capital — money
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. staff — employees
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. capital — a city
  15. track — to keep track
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rock — music
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. scale — in music

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