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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. deal — to handle
  3. present — a gift
  4. staff — a stick
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — there
  8. mug — a face
  9. capital — money
  10. staff — employees
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chair — a leader
  13. fine — all right
  14. capital — a city
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. present — the time now
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. chair — a professorship

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