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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. object — a thing
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chip — for betting
  19. object — an aim
  20. mine — for digging
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — to protest
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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