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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 120 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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. chip — for betting
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. staff — a stick
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stem — to come from
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. march — the month
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kid — child
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. staff — employees

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