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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. cue — a hint
  5. net — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bound — certain
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. staff — employees
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bound — obliged
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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