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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hand — help
  3. staff — a stick
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. chip — for betting
  6. staff — employees
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — the month
  13. squash — to crush
  14. march — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chip — to eat
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. hand — in cards
  24. squash — the vegetable

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