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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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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: staff · saw · pit · arm · cap · mark · mine · capital

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cap — a lid
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. staff — a stick
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pit — a hole
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — a trace
  20. capital — money
  21. staff — employees
  22. mark — a grade
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. saw — the tool

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