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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. tube — a container
  4. kick — in football
  5. tube — the underground
  6. row — a line
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hand — help
  11. staff — employees
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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