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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chip — for betting
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. deal — to handle
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cell — in biology
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chest — a box
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. chest — of your body
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. deal — a big deal

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