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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. fall — to drop
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. staff — a stick
  5. present — the time now
  6. fall — to drop
  7. staff — employees
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rest — a break
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. row — a line
  13. rest — what's left
  14. content — happy
  15. fall — the season
  16. content — the amount
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — a gift
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. present — there
  23. cue — for pool
  24. row — to paddle

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