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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. object — a thing
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rest — what's left
  6. object — to protest
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rest — a break
  10. game — wild animals
  11. object — an aim
  12. chip — for betting
  13. present — the time now
  14. chair — a leader
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — magic
  17. game — a match
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spell — letters
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. present — there
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chip — to eat
  24. spell — a short time

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