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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chip — for betting
  5. firm — decided
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. firm — steady
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. firm — a company
  14. clip — a video
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to confront
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chip — to eat
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. staff — employees
  24. press — to push

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