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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. object — to protest
  6. fork — in a road
  7. object — an aim
  8. bound — tied together
  9. object — a thing
  10. bound — certain
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bound — obliged
  14. wound — an injury
  15. file — a line of people
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — to eat
  18. staff — employees
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. chip — for betting
  21. file — a document
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. file — a tool

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