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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: rash · mate · cabinet · staff · pound · game · face · land

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. face — to point toward
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — a series
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. staff — employees
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. face — part of the head
  14. land — ground
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. land — to come down
  22. face — to confront
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rash — hasty

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