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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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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — a country
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. staff — employees
  10. fine — all right
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. land — to come down
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — letters
  24. fine — high quality

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