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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. land — to come down
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — after costs
  8. land — ground
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. net — for catching
  14. object — to protest
  15. net — in sport
  16. land — a country
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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