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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. capital — money
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — shares
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. chip — for betting
  14. land — to come down
  15. chip — to eat
  16. land — a country
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — goods
  19. land — ground
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rule — a law
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. press — to push

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