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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. clip — for paper
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — a safe
  15. staff — a stick
  16. dip — to sink
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. clip — to cut
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. clip — a video

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