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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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Word bank
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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: stick · kid · mark · date · press · mate · ground · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mark — a grade
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. date — the fruit
  15. kid — child
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — crushed
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ground — a position
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. staff — a stick
  24. ground — the earth

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