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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. charge — in control
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. capital — money
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. charge — a price
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fine — high quality
  19. capital — a city
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. staff — employees

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