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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a match
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. land — ground
  6. game — wild animals
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chip — for betting
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — a division
  12. staff — a stick
  13. club — for dancing
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cell — in biology
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. club — a group
  19. cell — a phone
  20. staff — employees
  21. land — to come down
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. chip — to eat

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