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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · staff · tube · capital · deal · game · track · object

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. staff — a stick
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. game — wild animals
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — a city
  9. object — a thing
  10. game — a match
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — a path
  17. object — an aim
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. object — to protest
  21. track — to keep track
  22. staff — employees
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. staff — employees

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