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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chip — to eat
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. date — the fruit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. tube — the underground
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. dip — to sink
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stem — to come from

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