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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. chip — to eat
  4. net — in sport
  5. can — to be able to
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — for catching
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. race — the arms race
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. race — humankind
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. staff — a stick
  18. race — a contest
  19. can — a tin
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chip — for betting
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — after costs

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