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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · dip · can · capital · staff · saw · object · scale

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — a stick
  5. dip — to sink
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. object — to protest
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. object — an aim
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. scale — in music
  18. capital — money
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. object — a thing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — a tin

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