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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. club — for golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fine — all right
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. staff — employees
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — a stick
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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