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

Word bank: dip · staff · bore · club · kid · stick · capital · pit

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. staff — employees
  12. pit — in a race
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. kid — child
  17. capital — money
  18. pit — a hole
  19. club — for golf
  20. staff — a stick
  21. dip — to sink
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. bore — to drill
  24. club — a group

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