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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chip — to eat
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. charge — a price
  7. staff — employees
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. staff — employees
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. row — to paddle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. row — a line
  21. charge — in control
  22. chip — for betting
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fork — in a road

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