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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · pass · scale · mate · rash · land · cell · row

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mate — a friend
  4. row — a line
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cell — in biology
  7. land — a country
  8. scale — in music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. cell — a phone
  11. row — to paddle
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — hasty
  14. mate — a partner
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — a series
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. staff — employees

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