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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. staff — employees
  3. net — for catching
  4. foot — a measure
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. net — in sport
  8. staff — employees
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. staff — a stick
  12. chip — for betting
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — to eat
  17. charge — in control
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — government
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. rule — a law
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. fork — in a road

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