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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. capital — money
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rash — a series
  16. capital — a city
  17. staff — a stick
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pit — a hole

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