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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 settled on a ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. land — a country
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. capital — money
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — wild animals
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cue — for pool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. staff — employees
  13. craft — boats
  14. staff — a stick
  15. date — the fruit
  16. cue — a hint
  17. game — a match
  18. chair — a leader
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. cue — a signal
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — a city
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. staff — employees

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