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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.

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: rest · staff · scale · safe · drill · leaves · capital · bat

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. staff — a stick
  22. rest — a break
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. leaves — of a tree

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