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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.

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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — employees
  7. file — a line of people
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fine — all right
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. file — a tool
  16. staff — a stick
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a document
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chip — to eat

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