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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bore — to tire
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. staff — employees
  5. bore — to drill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chip — for betting
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. hand — help
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. rest — a break
  24. chip — in a computer

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