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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — for paper
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. mug — a face
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. chip — for betting
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chip — to eat
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. staff — employees
  20. mug — to rob
  21. clip — to cut
  22. charge — a price
  23. date — the fruit
  24. staff — employees

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