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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — a signal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — what's left
  10. content — happy
  11. degree — from a university
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rest — a break
  14. staff — employees
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cue — a hint
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cue — for pool
  21. content — the amount
  22. chip — to eat
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — for betting

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