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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a friend
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — letters
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. land — ground
  10. mate — to breed
  11. land — a country
  12. capital — a city
  13. spell — a short time
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — the cause
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. root — of a plant
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. capital — money

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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