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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. staff — employees
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. capital — a city
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rock — music
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pound — a weight
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. staff — employees
  18. rule — government
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rock — a stone
  23. capital — money
  24. scale — for weighing

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