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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mate — to breed
  5. root — the cause
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. ball — a dance
  9. root — of a word
  10. degree — temperature
  11. lie — to recline
  12. degree — an amount
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — a friend
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — a group
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ball — a great time

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