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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. field — for sport
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spring — the season
  5. staff — a stick
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. spring — of water
  8. capital — money
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. chip — to eat
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. ball — a dance
  19. capital — a city
  20. field — farmland
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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