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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cue — for pool
  3. staff — employees
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — a division
  6. cue — a hint
  7. vault — a safe
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. shower — rain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — to wash
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — a signal
  20. capital — a city
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bound — obliged

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