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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fine — all right
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. file — a document
  5. saw — the tool
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chip — to eat
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a line of people
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mark — a grade
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fine — high quality
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. chip — for betting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. fine — a penalty

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