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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. squash — to crush
  3. staff — employees
  4. pound — a weight
  5. land — a country
  6. mate — a partner
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — to breed
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. fine — high quality
  12. row — a line
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. row — to paddle
  17. land — to come down
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. land — ground

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