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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. land — a country
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. staff — a stick
  6. land — ground
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — employees
  13. land — to come down
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fine — all right
  16. staff — employees
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. last — final
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. last — to go on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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