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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. stock — shares
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. hand — help
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. file — a line of people
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. staff — employees
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — goods
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chip — to eat
  19. file — a tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. file — a document
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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