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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · capital · mate · staff · chair · bay

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. deal — to handle
  9. capital — money
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. capital — a city
  13. staff — employees
  14. mate — a partner
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — an agreement

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