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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. root — of a word
  5. capital — a city
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rule — government
  9. capital — money
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. staff — employees
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. staff — employees
  17. rule — a law
  18. cold — not warm
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. vault — a safe

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