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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chair — a leader
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. key — the most important part
  6. staff — employees
  7. key — for a lock
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — to eat
  11. hand — help
  12. file — a document
  13. lean — thin
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — in music
  18. file — a tool
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chip — for betting
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — to bend
  24. file — a line of people

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