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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — magic
  3. mate — a partner
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — for catching
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. net — after costs
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. dip — to sink
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. net — in sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — for digging
  24. dip — to dunk

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