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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chip — for betting
  3. firm — decided
  4. fork — in a road
  5. capital — money
  6. staff — employees
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. firm — a company
  11. chip — to eat
  12. spring — of water
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. spring — the season
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. capital — a city
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. firm — steady

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