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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mate — a partner
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — a price
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. charge — electricity
  9. land — a country
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. staff — a stick
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — a friend
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mate — to breed
  19. land — ground
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — money
  23. land — to come down
  24. capital — a city

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