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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. game — a match
  5. capital — money
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. sharp — clever
  9. game — wild animals
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. board — to get on
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. firm — a company
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — a committee
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. staff — a stick
  24. sharp — exactly

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