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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. staff — employees
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. capital — a city
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bore — to drill
  24. jam — a tight spot

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