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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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. spell — a short time
  4. staff — employees
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. land — to come down
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — a lid
  20. craft — boats
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cold — not warm
  24. spell — magic

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