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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. lean — thin
  2. hand — help
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. staff — a stick
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — letters
  19. fork — in a road
  20. staff — employees
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  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