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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — the time now
  3. staff — employees
  4. court — for sport
  5. capital — money
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. court — of a king
  13. present — there
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. court — of law
  16. capital — a city
  17. present — a gift
  18. pass — a permit

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