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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chip — for betting
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. chip — to eat
  5. present — there
  6. net — for catching
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. staff — employees
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — after costs
  13. wind — moving air
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. staff — a stick
  21. present — the time now
  22. net — in sport
  23. present — a gift
  24. row — a line

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