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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. date — the fruit
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. staff — employees
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. clip — a video
  9. roll — a cake
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — to cut
  12. chip — to eat
  13. roll — a list
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — for paper
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in a computer

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