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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — for digging
  7. capital — money
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. court — of law
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a hat
  12. roll — a list
  13. season — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — a city
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. court — of a king
  21. cap — of ice
  22. staff — a stick
  23. season — of the year
  24. capital — a big letter

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