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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. staff — employees
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cap — a lid
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — employees
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pop — soda
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bark — to shout
  15. pop — music
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chip — for betting
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bear — the 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