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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chip — to eat
  6. object — a thing
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. object — an aim
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. object — to protest
  15. chip — for betting
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. band — a music group
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — a match
  24. lash — an eyelash

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