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

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. rest — what's left
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — a match
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — to eat
  17. net — for catching
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — a phone
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. calf — a young animal

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