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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — of the year
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. capital — a city
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. capital — money
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. season — in sport
  19. kid — to tease
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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