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

Word bank: root · cell · staff · cabinet · mine · pass · kid · net

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pass — a permit
  8. root — of a word
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — after costs
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cell — a phone
  14. net — for catching
  15. root — the cause
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. root — of a plant
  24. mine — an explosive

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