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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. kid — to tease
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. game — a match
  7. root — of a word
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. staff — a stick
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. capital — money
  13. staff — employees
  14. root — the cause
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. toast — bread
  18. game — wild animals
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. kid — child
  22. root — of a plant
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  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