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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. staff — a stick
  3. board — a committee
  4. row — to paddle
  5. staff — employees
  6. chip — to eat
  7. staff — employees
  8. pass — a permit
  9. roll — a list
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — the sport
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. squash — to crush
  22. row — a line
  23. chip — for betting
  24. board — to get on

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